13

Brian Irons stood over his monitor as he watched the grainy CCTV feed from his office in the Raccoon City Police Station. He scowled as he watched the young woman, Claire, turn and follow after the rookie, Leon S. Kennedy. Of course the spy would know where the orphanage was; Umbrella would have made sure their agents knew everything about the city and its inhabitants. The scheming pair had good reason to want the girl—they knew she was good leverage, and they knew she held the key. Chief Irons' thoughts then turned to Sherry, and he switched the feed. The grainy footage showed the little girl sitting on a bed and kicking her legs.

Irons muttered to himself, "Stupid kid. If you hadn't dropped that fucking thing, I could have let you go..."

Sherry looked down at the carpet of the small nursery room, turning her head toward the locked door as she heard the sound of footsteps. The sound stopped outside the nursery door, and a menacing voice carried through the barrier. "Don't worry Sherry. It'll be all over soon"

Sherry turned her head toward the window. To add to her horror, a flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by a distant rumble. She sighed at the return of the storm.

She hated storms.

She hated everything that was happening.

It was worse than her most horrible nightmares. She wished that this really was one of those nightmares, and hoped she would suddenly wake up after pinching herself hard. Unfortunately, she didn't wake up to a sunny morning, wrapped up in her cozy bed.

She was still trapped in darkness and isolation.

Sherry sighed, "There has to be a way out of here" and decided that the time for wishing had to stop. It was time to be brave.

Like Leon and Claire.

The young girl closed her eyes at the thought of her friends. She missed them both fiercely, even though she had only known them a little while. But in that short time they had been very kind to her...

Sherry's eyes opened and she studied the dark room. Something about the far wall caught her attention. A large piece of cardboard with a child's drawing had been taped across the wall. Sherry figured it was a strange place to mount a picture; after all, when she hung her own drawings at home, she always mounted them high so people could see them.

The young girl approached the picture and started picking at the tape, realizing then that the cardboard was covering a large hole. Covering a way out. Excitedly, Sherry pulled the rest of the picture away, and squeezed herself through the hole. Glad that she fit, she stood upright, holding her breath, hoping she wouldn't hear the bad man's footsteps.

When she was confident he wasn't nearby, Sherry made her way quietly through a large playroom. Another flash of light lit up the windows, sending a chill down her spine as the menacing shadows cast by the baby cribs scattered across the room loomed over her. Sherry swallowed back her fear, and her thoughts returned to her friends.

Be brave. Like Claire.

Finding confidence again, Sherry made her way through a door and entered the lobby. She approached a bannister and looked down at the ground-floor level toward the front entrance.

She said to herself quietly, "That must be the way out of here." and she made her way down the stairs, quickening her pace as she approached the front doors. Sherry tried the handle, but the door didn't budge.

"Darn it, I need the key!" she exclaimed to herself, and felt her eyes start to well up.

No,

she thought, shaking away the tears.

Be brave. Like Leon.

Sherry calmed herself, and headed towards another door that carried the sound of music from within. She crept carefully down the corridor and spotted a small window, covered by an opaque curtain. As she crept closer, a large shadow passed across the window. Sherry stilled and held her breath.

The bad man. He sounds busy. I should take a closer look.

Wringing her hands, Sherry entered the room and huddled behind the stacked shelves. The room beyond was so strange to her. A large table stood in the center of the room, and on its top lay what she thought was a large doll. Sherry glanced toward the far corner of the room, but the police chief was nowhere to be seen.

Swallowing her fear, Sherry decided to creep from her hiding place, quietly telling herself to be brave. She crept past the table. The doll was giving her the creeps... it looked too real. Staying low against the table, Sherry observed the rest of the room, until her eyes suddenly fell upon a set of keys hanging on a hook.

Yes!

Sherry crept slowly forward, reaching for the keys. When she couldn't quite reach, she pushed forward and the table creaked slightly. As her fingers brushed the keys, the music suddenly stopped, and a curtain behind her was pulled abruptly. "Where are you going, Sherry?" Chief Irons scowled, as he approached the vulnerable girl and snatched the key from her hand. "I told you to stay put," he growled, advancing on her. "You need to learn to listen."

Sherry cried out "Leave me alone!" when her back made contact with the table; turning her head slightly, she noticed a bottle.

Be brave. Like Claire. Like Leon.

Iron's growled "Time to teach you some manners!" and moved forward, but Sherry suddenly turned, grabbed the bottle, and smashed it into the man's face. The police chief let out a roar of pain as the fluid hissed and steamed at the contact with his skin. Sherry turned back, and stumbled at the horrific sight.

Irons boomed out "You little BITCH!" and tipped a small table in anger, while grabbing at his melting flesh. "You're gonna pay for this. You little shit!"

Sherry quickly got to her feet and ran with the chief close on her heels. His growl was menacing as he said, "You're gonna be so fucking sorry!"

"Go away!" Sherry cried desperately as she ran upstairs "Help! Somebody, please"

Brian Irons stopped briefly at the top of the stairs, inhaled against the burning pain on his face and growled, "You stupid bitch, that's a dead end" as he watched Sherry disappear into the large nursery. He moved forward and entered the room, looking around at the dark corners. He turned back toward the door, placed the key in the lock and turned. "It's all over now" he spat into the darkness "Doors locked!

Claire and Leon ran through the streets as the heavens opened up once again

Leon cried, "Damn it!" and he suddenly stopped. Claire looked ahead, and noticed a huge hole where a road should have been. She sighed, "What now?" as she held her arm up against the stinging rain.

Leon glanced to his left through the rain, noticing the gun shop. "There," he said, pointing. "If we can get around the back of Kendo's, then it should be a straight shot to the orphanage, plus we can search for ammo." "Sounds like a plan," Claire agreed. "Assuming any ammo is left…" She trailed off, looking at the door that had been left open.

The pair made their way cautiously into the darkened shop. Claire had been right when she said the shop had probably been ransacked; the place was a mess. After a quick search, they managed to find another pistol for Claire, some ammo, and a shotgun that had been kicked under a sideboard.

Turning back to Claire, Leon said "Lets go" and the pair made their way through the shop and out into an alleyway, where they spotted a man hunched in a doorway with the palms of his hands pressed firmly against his eyes. Claire noticed a stream of blood running down the strangers arm and whispered "He's hurt." Startled at hearing her voice, the man swiftly turned a shotgun on the pair. "Back!" he warned, when Leon and Claire raised their own guns at the threat.

Leon lowered his pistol slightly, and said gently, "Hey...take it easy. We're not going to hurt you. We're just passing through, so I'm going to ask you to lower that weapon."

The man's intense gaze shot to the young cop, and he growled "Yeah?" still refusing to lower his gun, "That's what that bitch said, and then she tried to kill my fucking daughter! Talking about her like some kind of animal! Fucking FBI, Cops. you're all the same !"

Claire moved forward a little. "Sir…" she began, "That's not us. We're on our way to help a little girl in trouble. All we're asking is that you'll let us pass by. Please... "

Still watching Leon the man said "Well, he looks like a cop to me... " but then the man lowered his shotgun slightly and looked back at Claire. "This girl," he said. "What happened to her?" Claire's eyes met the stranger's, and she said, "She was taken by the police chief. He took her to the orphanage."

The man nodded. "Yeah," he said. "That sounds like something that slimy bastard would do. Turning again to Leon the man said "Prepared to go against your superior are you, cop?" Answering back with resolve, Leon replied "Whatever it takes to get her back... " Finally, the man lowered his shotgun and said " Good man. The orphanage isn't far from here. Go through that gate in the shadows just there, and carry on north."

Claire and Leon looked at each other cautiously, but it seemed as if the anger the stranger had only a moment ago, had fizzled out. The pair slowly approached the man who had reverted to staring at the floor. Claire stopped in front of the man and asked gently, "Can we offer you some water? Maybe help with that arm… sir?"

The man looked at Claire "Robert. My name's Robert." He said quietly "Thank you, young lady. But it doesn't matter anymore. I'll be going to sleep soon. Just like my little girl..." Claire wanted to say more to the stricken man, but she couldn't muster the words.

Robert looked back at the young pair. "Go," he said. "Find your little girl." Then he opened the door behind him, and disappeared into the darkness of his home.